I Start with a Mysterious Island-Chapter 142 - 141: I’m Still Pretty Awesome for Withstanding This Trial
’I need to push harder today. I’ll try to get a bigger haul than yesterday and see if I can reach one hundred percent progress within half a month.’
VROOM...
Once past Chenghua Avenue, the road to the wilderness was practically empty of vehicles. Lin Li slammed on the accelerator, no longer needing to worry about hitting anyone at high speed.
After ending her chat with Lin Li, Su Yue didn’t give much thought to what he was busy with during the day.
"Time to change and go to the market." Wrapped in a light blue strapless bath towel, Su Yue stood up. Her graceful figure swayed as she walked toward her bedroom, muttering to herself.
’Lin Li said yesterday he wanted spicy crayfish, stir-fried fatty intestines, and salt-and-pepper spare ribs... His appetite seems to have gotten a lot bigger lately. I’ll make a couple of extra dishes tonight!’
A moment later, Su Yue emerged from her bedroom. She had tied her hair into a ponytail and was wearing blue denim shorts with a white t-shirt that had a cute cartoon print.
The outfit made the mature and charming Su Yue look rather lively.
’For the two extra dishes, I’ll make one poached fish in chili oil, and the other can be mapo tofu!’
After deciding on the two extra dishes, Su Yue grabbed her bag and headed out to the market to buy groceries.
...
Spirit Realm, Dongwu City. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦
Inside a magnificent, sprawling estate, Zhou Tianci, who had just finished breakfast with his family, walked out of the dining hall.
"Young Master." A servant named Xiaoliu had been waiting outside for a long time. Seeing his young master emerge after breakfast with the Master and Madam, he quickly ran over, fawning as he greeted him.
"Xiaoliu, how’s that matter I asked you to handle yesterday coming along?" Zhou Tianci asked his servant.
In response to Zhou Tianci’s question, Xiaoliu was about to report the news he had gathered.
At that moment, he suddenly saw the Master and Madam of the Zhou Family walking out of the dining hall. He quickly gestured with his eyes for Zhou Tianci to look behind him.
"Come with me to the study," Zhou Tianci said quietly to Xiaoliu after a glance over his shoulder, then started walking toward his study first.
...
Inside the antique-styled study, the bookshelves were lined with brand-new books. A single glance was enough to tell they had never been touched, serving only as decorations for the master of the house to appear cultured.
Standing before the mahogany desk, the servant Xiaoliu reported to Zhou Tianci, who was seated in a chair.
"Young Master, I treated a friend from the Zhu Family to a meal and found something out. On her way back this time, Miss Zhu ran into a band of thieves and almost didn’t make it back.
And the only reason Miss Zhu returned safely was thanks to the help of that young man surnamed Lin from yesterday."
"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..." Zhou Tianci, who was sipping his tea, heard Xiaoliu’s report and felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. The shock caused him to choke on his tea instantly.
After a fit of violent coughing, he said to Xiaoliu in disbelief, "What did you say...?"
Xiaoliu had also been stunned when he first heard the news. He never expected that the man named Lin Li, whom their group had targeted yesterday, was actually Miss Zhu’s savior.
"Young Master, that... that man we fought with yesterday... he’s Miss Zhu’s savior," Xiaoliu said cautiously, bowing his body.
"You bastards! You idiots! Why didn’t you stop me yesterday?
What do I do now? If that Lin fellow tells Miss Zhu what we did to him yesterday, I’m afraid I’ll never be able to see her again."
Upon learning the truth, Zhou Tianci’s face turned pale with anger, and he trembled all over.
Just the thought of his beloved Zhu Xinru ignoring him forever after hearing Lin Li’s complaint made him feel like his world was collapsing.
’Young Master, how could we have stopped you? You were so angry yesterday, it looked like you wanted to tear him to pieces. We couldn’t have stopped you even if we’d tried,’ Xiaoliu grumbled internally while keeping his head down and taking the scolding.
"I’m asking you a question! Are you mute?" the agitated Zhou Tianci roared at Xiaoliu.
"Young Master, I..." Startled by Zhou Tianci’s roar, Xiaoliu stammered, unable to get a word out.
"Tell me, what should I do now? If that Lin guy goes and complains to Miss Zhu, I can just imagine her reaction when she finds out I attacked her savior like that.
Even though Miss Zhu has a gentle nature and rarely gets angry at people, she will absolutely be furious when she learns about this..." Zhou Tianci leaned back in his chair, stared at the ceiling, and muttered to himself.
The antique study instantly fell into a dead silence.
After a long while, Xiaoliu, who had been stammering earlier, suddenly called out to the distraught Zhou Tianci.
"Young Master."
"Hm?"
"What if we prepare a generous gift and personally visit that man named Lin Li to apologize?"
"After how I fought with him yesterday, you think he’s going to forgive me?"
"Young Master, everyone loves money. From what I saw yesterday, that Lin fellow’s clothes were very ordinary. I imagine he isn’t a very wealthy person.
As long as our gift is generous enough to show our sincerity, and we explain to him that it was all a misunderstanding, he’ll forgive us nine times out of ten."
Hearing Xiaoliu’s suggestion, Zhou Tianci’s eyes lit up. He nodded and said,
"Alright, do as you say. Go now, take some men, and find that Lin fellow... uh, find that Mr. Lin."
"Yes, Young Master! I’ll take my men to find Mr. Lin’s residence right away. You just wait at home for my good news!" Xiaoliu said with a fawning smile, bowing and scraping.
Just as he turned to leave the study, he heard Zhou Tianci add, "Remember, your attitude must be excellent. You absolutely cannot make Mr. Lin angry again."
"Young Master, when I handle things, you can rest assured. I’ll get it done properly."
After Xiaoliu left, the antique study returned to its silence. Sitting in his chair, Zhou Tianci pulled open a drawer in his desk and took out a painting.
Unrolling it revealed the portrait of a beautiful woman, as gentle as still water... The beautiful woman in the portrait was none other than the Zhu Xinru for whom Zhou Tianci longed.
...
Blue Star, on the vast wilderness outside the East District.
As the sun slowly descended toward the horizon, the brilliant red sunset cast an exceptionally vibrant glow upon the plants and vegetation of the wilderness.
About ten kilometers from the safe zone, there was a depression in the land formed by accumulated rainwater.
At this moment, two figures were locked in a fierce clash at the edge of the depression.
One was a young man in camouflage, wielding a Spiritual Longsword. The other was a giant field mouse Mutant Beast, the size of a small calf.
SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK...
The giant field mouse Mutant Beast stared intently at the human before it, then lifted its right paw, licked a wound on it, and let out a series of sharp squeaks.
The setting sun was a magnificent sight, but it signaled the coming of dusk.
Lin Li was standing by the depression, admiring the beautiful sunset. He had been about to call it a day, end his hunt, and head home.
But as soon as he turned, he saw a giant field mouse Mutant Beast, the size of a small calf, staring at him menacingly.
’This one’s not friendly!’
After that, Lin Li engaged the giant field mouse Mutant Beast in a fierce battle.
This giant field mouse Mutant Beast had the strength of a Second Rank Initial Stage, and it had even awakened a Superpower, making it quite difficult to deal with.
However, it must have only just broken through to the Second Rank Initial Stage. In terms of overall combat power, Lin Li still had a clear edge over it.
’It’s a good thing I didn’t recklessly expend my Spiritual Energy while hunting Mutant Beasts today. Otherwise, faced with this Mutant Beast now, my only choice would be to escape to the Mysterious Small Island...’
Wielding the Spiritual Longsword that pulsed with a faint golden Spiritual Light, Lin Li slowly circled the giant field mouse Mutant Beast before him, looking for an opportunity to strike.
...
